All blog posts

5 Reasons Why Belfast is the Perfect City to Make Your Way in The World

14 June, 2018

With over 895 international companies employing over 99,000 people in Belfast, Queen's graduates can mine the wealth of employment opportunities available on our doorstep.

1. The city is a magnet for global headhunters

Our education system is one of the best in Europe and we consistently outperform all other UK regions in academic qualifications. Coupled with the fact that 55% of the population in Belfast is under the age of 40 and you’ve got a recipe for a lightening growth talent base. No wonder big name companies like Allen & Overy, All State and Aston Martin are queuing up to recruit here.

2. Business is booming

Our vibrant business services sector includes contact centres, IT services, facilities management, recruitment services and business to business services. By 2025, the information and communication sector is expected to explode by 63% creating over 13,000 new jobs, while a further 16,000 will be created in the science and tech field.

There are almost 900 international companies located in Northern Ireland (Belfast City Council), making Belfast the second most successful city in the UK (after London) at attracting US trade. Among the US companies setting up home here is Applied Systems – a Chicago-headquartered cloud software company – who plan to take on a total of 50 IT professionals by 2021. Belfast is also one of Europe’s top 10 small cities for FDI strategy (Financial Times, FDI European Cities of the Future, 2018).